


10 Reasons Not to Fight a D̶r̶a̶g̶o̶n̶ Bird (a Guide by Arthur Pendragon)

by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle



Series: Me @ Merlin Writers: What if You Didn't Murder My Favorite Characters? [10]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Aithusa is a cutie, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Dragonlord Merlin (Merlin), Dragonlord Powers, Dragons, Gen, M/M, POV Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), She helps out anyone she meets, dragon powers, fuck yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23321323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedFlumadiddle/pseuds/CaffeinatedFlumadiddle
Summary: “Merlin…” Arthur said as he slowly started to reach for his sword. “Don’t…Move…”“No, no, no! Arthur, it’s alright!” Merlin said as he moved (because obviously he ignored Arthur’s orders and moved) in front of the desk. “She’s just saying hello!”“That’s a dragon.” Arthur informed him. Merlin looked over his shoulder for a moment.“No, it isn’t.”There was a pause.“Yes, it is.”“No.” Merlin shook his head. “It…Uh, is not…A dragon.”“Then what the Hell is it?!” Arthur asked, not letting his eyes drift away from the fire breathing demon. Yeah. That was definitely a dragon. Merlin clicked his tongue before also staring behind him.“It is…A…Bird…”There was another pause.“You’re really sticking with that?”“I am, thank you.”OrMerlin has to convince the King of Camelot that he is not, in fact, in possession of a dragon. Luckily, the rest of the kingdom has already been won over by the baby dragon and is quite willing to aid in this quest.
Relationships: Aithusa & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Aithusa & Camelot, Aithusa & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Me @ Merlin Writers: What if You Didn't Murder My Favorite Characters? [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1592419
Comments: 203
Kudos: 4163
Collections: Awesome Reads, Fics good enough to send to my sister





	1. Chapter 1

**Reason #1:** **There is no reason to believe a dragon is Camelot.**

Arthur had heard the reports, of course. Like fairytales or campfire stories they zipped across the castle among servants and knights alike. At first he paid no mind to it - especially after hearing the word ‘dragon’ uttered in hushed tones. As far as he was concerned, the last dragon had been slain years ago by Arthur himself.

So it was quite some time before he paid any heed towards the rumors that shot across the castle. Really, the only reason he was dissuaded from this line of thinking at all was the fact the dragon was sitting in front of him.

“Merlin…” Arthur said as he slowly started to reach for his sword. “Don’t…Move…”

“No, no, no! Arthur, it’s alright!” Merlin said as he moved (because obviously he ignored Arthur’s orders and moved) in front of the desk where the creature was currently sitting. “She’s just saying hello!”

“That’s a dragon.” Arthur informed him. So it appeared he had not slain the last one. Well. He could rectify that fairly quickly. After all, this one wasn’t much bigger than an owl. Surely one strike would send it to its demise. Merlin looked over his shoulder for a moment. Arthur wanted to yank him away from it. Why wasn’t he running for cover like he always did at the slightest hint of danger? 

“No, it isn’t.” Merlin said, still shuffling between the point of Arthur’s sword and the dragon. 

There was a pause.

“Yes, it is.”

“No.” Merlin shook his head. “It…Uh, is not…A dragon.”

“Then what the Hell is it?!” Arthur asked, not letting his eyes drift away from the fire breathing demon. Yeah. That was definitely a dragon. Merlin clicked his tongue before also staring behind him.

“It is…A…Bird…”

There was another pause.

“You’re really sticking with that?”

“I am, thank you.”

Arthur pursed his lips and peered over Merlin’s shoulder. The ‘bird’ had no feathers. Only white scales that gleamed in the sunlight and four legs with claws rather than talons. Bright eyes latched onto him and the creature made a very croaky screech before flapping its wings in excitement.

"You cannot convince me that’s a bird.” Arthur said dryly. Normally, he might forego this argument and shove Merlin to the side to get to the danger, but considering this dragon wasn’t attacking...Well, he might receive less grief to humor the idiocy for now.

"Yep. It is. Ask Gaius."

He had to be joking. Arthur often said that Merlin was dumb, but this was next level. Perhaps he had been cursed? Enchanted? Maybe he had a concussion? Merlin gave a weak smile.

"Alright," Arthur said and lowered his sword slightly "Go get Gaius."

Merlin hesitated.

"You get Gaius.”

"I’m not leaving you alone with that thing." Arthur said with gritted teeth. "Just - move out of the way!”

"I thought we were getting Gaius?”

 _"Merlin!"_ Arthur hissed and used his free hand to bang loudly on the wall behind him. "GUARDS! BRING GAIUS IN HERE!" He shouted. There was the sound of running that let him know that at least _somebody_ was heeding his orders. He glanced back up to see Merlin trying to mutter something to the dragon only to stop and grin when he saw Arthur watching. 

"I love birds." He added as an explanation.

It had been years since Merlin had been in the stocks, but Arthur was starting to wonder if maybe they should put the practice back into place when Gaius finally came.

Arthur’s life only got harder from there.

"You’re joking," He said when the physician backed away with a stoic nod. "Gaius, that is not a bird-"

"It is quite a common mistake, sire." Gaius explained - or, well, it wasn’t an explanation because this _wasn’t a bird_ , but whatever "Aithusa birds have quite dragon-like appearances. That’s why they are so rare. Many hunt them thinking they are dangerous when in reality they are docile when kept under control." He added with a sharp look towards Merlin. The servant snorted as if amused by the news.

"Aithusa birds, yes." He agreed. Arthur couldn’t believe this was happening to him.

"Sounds like a good bird to hunt. Merlin move.”

"What?! Arthur-"

"That’s an order!" He snapped out, frustration rising. The Aithusa or whatever merely peeked it’s head out from behind Merlin to give a small squeak. He wasn’t sure why it didn’t just fly away. Surely it knew Arthur would kill it? And it could definitely fly...That’s how it had gotten in here.

"It’s you!"

Arthur froze. No fucking way. Slowly, he turned to see Gwen standing in the doorway with a bright smile as she pushed past all of them to pat the dragon on its head. Even Merlin seemed frozen in shock as Gwen began to coo.

"Um... You know this...Bird?" Merlin asked, glancing at Gaius. Gwen rose her eyebrows for a moment before looking at Arthur.

"Bird?" She asked and when Merlin gave a sharp clear of his throat simply shrugged. "Oh. Yes. Bird. Well, sometimes when you are all gone for quests or hunting she comes by and keeps me company! She is wonderfully helpful with chores." She added and kissed the top of the dragon’s head.

"Guinevere, that isn’t a bird." Arthur sighed and this time it was Gaius who clicked his tongue in a disapproving manner. Gwen blinked a few times before her eyes landed to the sword in Arthur's hand back to the physician. Finally, she nodded.

"Sure it is!" She said as Merlin turned to look at the dragon with wide eyes.

"You know Gwen? Aithusa, _how?"_

Arthur wasn't sure what he expected.

* * *

**Reason #2: If there is a reason to believe a dragon is in Camelot - _do not fight it_. Gather more information first to learn its various weaknesses.**

It turns out Gwen wasn't the only one familiar with the dragon - or Aithusa as everyone had taken to calling it. Merlin was especially fond of talking to it as if the thing could actually understand him. Which meant that Arthur had to listen to his steadily rising panic when they found out more people knew her.

"Oh, yeah," The baker said when the dragon flew by the castle's window one afternoon as Arthur was trying various breads. "The lil' gal helps to make sure my ovens stay warm." He smiled. "You wouldn't think one of her kind could be so sweet." He added fondly with a small snicker "Damn near gave my wife a heart attack."

"Her kind?" Arthur said, sitting up straighter with a glance towards Merlin. "And what is that exactly?"

"The king doesn't believe Aithusa is a bird." Merlin immediately jumped in. Arthur turned to scowl at him.

"I don't remember inviting you into this conversation." He said coolly and Merlin stared back with his face completely void of anything.

"Apologies, my lord. I just wanted to clear up the matter since you are _so_ determined to _kill dragons_." He added pointedly to the baker. Arthur groaned and turned away. Next time this nonsense came up he was definitely making sure Merlin was far away. Perhaps the dungeons. Maybe he should just forever be in the dungeons from now on. Seemed fair.

"Oh," The baker blinked "I... See. Well, she is a very beautiful, um, bird."

"Please don't take me for a fool, Alfred."

"I don't know what you mean, your majesty."

It only got worse from there. Merlin had tragically gotten to the knights before Arthur could...And he deeply suspected that Gwaine had also put word around Camelot about what was happening. Farmers praised the magnificent bird that defended their crops while jewelers gasped at the beautiful treasure Aithusa always seemed to find (side note: Arthur's vault was missing quite a few things).

"Tell me more about Aithusa birds." Arthur asked one day when the damned dragon had once again broken into his castle in an attempt to play with Merlin. It was always Merlin. Why did the damn thing like him so much? And also, why did _Merlin_ like it so much? He had been around when the Great Dragon terrorized Camelot! How was he not terrified? It was awful because the thing never left his side so Arthur couldn't kill the damn thing without Merlin freaking out.

"Really?" Merlin asked skeptically. Arthur shrugged. "Well...They... Sometimes breathe fire." He said wryly after Aithusa sneezed so that smoke came out.

"Fascinating. Like dragons do?"

"No."

"My mistake," Arthur muttered and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do they also happen to prefer living in caves?" He asked. Aithusa sneezed again, this time catching the end of Arthur's curtains on fire. Merlin cursed, racing over to stomp at the flames as Arthur sighed. This was why he wanted to kill it. The thing was only going to grow and get more dangerous - but _no_ it's too _cute_ to kill and we're all going to pretend _it's a fucking bird._

"No!" Merlin managed when he finally got the fire sorted. "Some might. Not this one. She prefers to be around people for whatever reason." He added with a glare at Aithusa. "Even when she isn't supposed to be consorting with people and staying next to another of her kind." He snapped. Aithusa's eyes got impossibly wide before her head dipped down as if saddened by Merlin's words. "...didn't meant for that to sound so harsh. Sorry." He muttered.

"Did you just apologize to it?"

"No," Merlin lied and went about making Arthur's bed. "Oh! Actually, this is something really cool about, um... Birds. Did you know that sometimes they could also breathe ice?" He asked. Arthur rose a brow. "Not all of them have the ability and there are some that can _only_ breathe ice, but I'm pretty sure she can do both fire and ice." He added with a nod towards Aithusa. Arthur's heart sank.

"...Great." He whispered. Maybe he wasn't prepared to kill this dragon after all. He clearly didn't know a lot about them. "Are they capable of magic? Poisonous?"

"Teeth? No. Claws? Yes, if they puncture deep enough." Merlin told him absently. "They are creatures of magic but can't control it in the same way a sorcerer can."

"Does poison work on them then? Fire maybe?" Arthur tried, leaning forward. Aithusa paused in trying to catch her tail to squawk at him before collapsing dramatically to the ground. Merlin smiled at her before digging deep in his pocket and pulling out some dried meet. Arthur sighed. This was a damned dragon. It was a _freaking dragon_. He hated this.

"Nope. Only...Certain people can kill them."

Arthur wondered how his father had managed to kill so many dragons. A small voice whispered that he must have forced the dragonlords to kill them all before... Wait. a sudden realization seemed to settled uncomfortably in his stomach. Balinor. The Great Dragon. Perhaps the reason the dragon was kept alive at all was because that was the dragon Balinor was supposed to have killed, but then when the man escaped... Arthur didn't want to think about that. How horribly cruel it was. Besides, clearly dragonlords couldn't be the only ones to kill dragons because Arthur himself had killed one...And would also be killing this thing.

"And how do you know all of this?" He asked. Merlin froze. Then, he turned to give Arthur the dopey smile he always gave when he was about to say something horribly stupid.

"Aithusa told me!"

Arthur hated him.

* * *

**Reason #3: People are very fond of the dragon. For some reason, they might be mad if you fight it.**

"Good morning, Aithusa!"

"Hello there, little one!"

"Oh, she's gotten so _big!"_

"Does everyone in town know about her?" Arthur complained as the dragon soared high above. She _had_ grown recently. It made Arthur incredibly nervous. Now she was about the size of foal rather than a dog. Merlin glanced up and shook his head.

"Apparently," He sighed "She keeps trying to make friends. I know I should order her to stop... But it makes her so happy."

Arthur snorted. As if Merlin could order that _thing_ to do anything. Aithusa gave a pleased purring sound before diving sharply. Arthur tensed, hand jolting to the side of his horse where his crossbow sat only to pause when the dragon dropped a dead rabbit in front of a woman. Ah. So that had been what was in her mouth.

"Again?" The woman asked, leaning down to pick the rabbit up. "You're keeping me family and I much too well fed, Aithusa." She smiled and her eyes flicked to where Arthur was watching closely. "...you're a good bird."

This was just insulting.

Arthur bit his lip. This... Trust between his people and the dragon. It could be very dangerous. They wouldn't be on guard. They wouldn't expect Aithusa to attack. Children could be unsuspecting and go to play and -

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

"No, my lord! Don't!"

" _Arthur!"_

Arthur lowered the crossbow he had risen in frustration. Aithusa hadn't even moved when the thing was pointed at her. She merely gave a small mewling sound as Merlin immediately placed himself between Arthur and the dragon. A few of the towns people had also gasped and given horrified yells as they attempted to shield the dragon. Merlin glanced at them in surprise before turning back to Arthur.

"Please, sire. Put that away." He said, voice hardening into a tone that definitely sounded more commanding than Arthur would have ever pictured him using. Part of him wanted to snap back at him for using such tone. The other noticed the way the woman was holding the rabbit close to her chest and inwardly sighed. He placed the bow back into the bag. "Aithusa. Please go home." Merlin added. The dragon bristled. "I'll order you." He warned and the dragon gave what could have been a growl before launching itself into the air once more.

"You have a way with birds." One man frowned and Merlin flushed.

"It, uh...Takes practice." He smiled weakly with a shrug "Also, I'm very lucky. Ask the king. I'm always surviving things I shouldn't." He said and the group all turned to Arthur at once. He wondered vaguely what his life had come to. He liked that his people were so comfortable around him, but at the same time he wondered what his father would say about commoners all daring to look upon a noble without averting their eyes.

"It's true. He should have died long ago." Arthur admitted. Merlin gave them all a bright smile before walking over to throw a leg up on his horse and move forward to follow Arthur. Silence followed.

"How _do_ you control it?" Arthur finally asked when they had ridden more towards the woods. Merlin hummed.

"Lucky, I suppose."

"Really?"

"What's your theory then? That I'm some sort of bird whisperer?" He chuckled and Arthur tilted his head, looking back at the servant with consideration. Maybe... It was impossible but...

"You said you didn't know your father, right?" He asked. Merlin blinked. Immediately his face darkened before giving a grumble of confirmation and shrugging. Arthur hummed. Maybe one of those dragonlords that his father had hunted down... Hm. The thought wasn't pleasant. But Merlin _had_ once been friends with that Will boy who was a sorcerer... Maybe there was an unknown kinship there. Not to mention how upset he was after seeing Balinor die after only knowing him for a day. Did magic cause you to form immediate connections like that?

He really hated it. He did. Merlin wasn't _magic._ He didn't harbor any connections to _dragons_.

But if he did... Well, maybe it was safer for Arthur to avoid him figuring that out. If he could _just_ kill the damn thing then they wouldn't need to worry. Merlin's mind couldn't be poisoned by dragons if there were no dragons, right? Right.

"My lord?" Merlin finally asked after a few more minutes of silence. Arthur sighed (really, hunting was impossible with him anyways) before nodding for him to continue. Merlin didn't say anything though. Arthur turned to find the servant looking at him with sharp eyes. His lips were pressed together. Jaw clenched. It was a sort of seriousness that was rare on the man. Arthur usually only saw it in face of danger or tragedy. "I..." He began and stopped. Arthur waited. "I hope you know she's here to protect you." He said slowly and fixed Arthur with a hard look. "I have confidence that you would never harm anyone or anything that worked to protect you and your kingdom."

"You can't know a dragon's intentions."

"You, perhaps, cannot." Merlin said softly. Arthur took a sharp breath. "But it doesn't matter because Aithusa isn't a dragon anyways. She's a-"

"Don't you dare even say it."

* * *

**Reason #4:** **Well... It is kind of cute when it threatens Arthur's enemies (and so was her dragonlord as it turns out)  
**

"What the _fuck_ is that?"

"That's our pet bird. Her name is Aithusa." Gwaine called across the field where the other army was shifting uncomfortably. Arthur's own army seemed unperturbed by the monstrosity that flown overhead... Which sadly was not surprising. Aithusa circled above, not attacking, but still giving a rumbling roar that somehow shook the ground and had others clapping hands over their ears.

"You...You have... A..." The captain said. Arthur frowned. He was rather displeased that King Alined had not come himself to fight (instead sending only his generals and knights to lead this battle) but that didn't mean Arthur was going to fight unfairly.

"No," He said with a shake of his head "She is a nuisance I've been trying to rid myself of for a few months now." He sighed. Elyan sniffed.

"Our king is not a fan of the bird...Even if she's been nothing but helpful."

"Shut up, Elyan."

"Yes, your majesty."

The captain frowned, glancing at where his army seemed to recoil - raising their shields in case Aithusa swooped down. Arthur really wasn't sure what his role was here. Did he suggest they continue this at a different time? She wasn't bothering his soldiers. It seemed unfair to fight like this. Then again, perhaps he should give his men the upperhand... No. No, that was wrong. Before he could spend more time mulling over this there was a screech and Aithusa suddenly dove down.

"Holy _shit-"_ Someone yelled and the other army scattered. Aithusa wasn't coming for them though. In fact, she was getting precariously close to -

" _Arthur-"_

There was a flash of red and white before Arthur found himself on the ground with a dragon roaring above him. He yanked his sword out, rolling over in an attempt to defend himself only to realize the captain going white as he glanced over at one of Arthur's...One of... Wait.

"Take off your helmet." Arthur said, getting up. The man Aithusa was growling at froze. He was wearing Camelot's colors and stood next to his men... But like he said before. Aithusa had never attacked one of his own before. "That's an _order_." He snapped and the man stumbled for a moment before yanking off the helmet to reveal someone Arthur definitely didn't know. Aithusa snapped her jaws. Slowly, Arthur turned to the captain. "I want you answer me honestly," He began and Aithusa quieted at the sound of his voice "Is this one of your men you sent to kill me?" He asked him. Silence.

Well, it was silent until Aithusa threw her head up to the sky and roared once more. Everyone went scrambling back (except Gwaine who was giving delighted laughter at the chaos). Arthur glanced at her warily, sword rising in case he needed to defend himself. The dragon clawed at the ground, snorting as she turned as if to charge at the other men. Her wings rose and -

 _"Dragorn! Non_ _didlkai."_ A voice yelled and Aithusa froze. _"Kari miss, epsipass imall krat!"_ The voice continued and immediately people parted to make room from a flushed looking Merlin running up, heaving as he bent over to glower up at Aithusa. She gave a sniff and jerked her head towards the men. _"Katostar abore ceriss. Katicur."_ He snapped and immediately her head bowed. Merlin rose his eyebrows. "Go on." He said and Aithusa sniffed before rising into the air once more, sending a burst of air around them so that sand and dirt rose to spray them all in the face before disappearing up into the sky.

There was several beats of silence where everyone turned to the servant. Merlin's eyes were fixed firmly on the ground, ignoring when people uncertainly rose their swords in his direction.

"Merlin," Percival finally said, glowering at the others as he stepped closer to his friend "I didn't know you could talk to birds."

A nervous chuckle filtered through.

"Shouldn't be a surprise," Gwaine added as he shuffled over as well "He talks to trees too. I've heard him." He said. Merlin glanced at them in surprise. Arthur, however, was beginning to reevaluate his previous assumptions. It appeared that Merlin was very well aware that he was a dragonlord. Was this good or bad news? Well, Arthur could say with absolutely confidence... That he had no idea. None.

"Arthur..." Merlin said quietly and wrung his hands "I can explain-"

"WAIT!" Someone else yelled and the group turned to one of his newer knights who was shoving his way forward "If the servant dies does that mean Aithusa dies?" He asked and there was an immediate grumble.

"Oh," Merlin began with a frown "Uh. Not rea-"

"You _can't_ kill Aithusa!"

"She just saved the king's life!"

"We play fetch sometimes. She's a good bird."

"My lord, _please-"_

"Wow," Merlin said shortly as he crossed his arms over his chest "Really?" He asked and Leon walked over to clap a hand on his shoulder.

"We like you too, Merlin." He smiled and then glanced at Arthur. "Um...Unless we...Don't anymore?" He asked. Merlin spluttered. From Leon's other side, Elyan punched his arm.

"Leon, you snake!"

"I was joking!" He complained but that didn't stop Gwaine from trying to shove him away from Merlin. The captain from before finally cleared his throat.

"You know, we can just surrender." He said, raising both his hands up "It... It looks like you have a lot on your plate anyways." He said. Arthur opened his mouth to respond but the man had already turned away with a call for his men to retreat. Slowly, Arthur turned back to Merlin.

"...you and I need to talk."

"Yeah," Merlin sighed, rubbing his arm "I... Yeah, that's fair."

* * *

**Reason #5: Refer to #1  
**

"I don't understand."

Arthur shifted. Nobody told him how uncomfortable this damned throne was. Well... Actually he did remember his father complaining once or twice, but one would think adding a few pillows would have resolved the issue. He turned to look at the visiting noble who was practically bursting with anger - face red and fists clench in an attempt to keep from yelling at the king.

"What is it that you don't understand, Lord Beckett?" Arthur asked patiently. The man spluttered for a few moments as he tried to gesture around vaguely only to more or less give a string of incoherent noises that left his knights snickering from behind him. To his right, Aithusa lifted her head from where she had been peacefully napping to also look at the noble (who immediately took a step back).

"It isn't even in _chains?_ Your father... " Beckett started and took a long breath "Your father would have _never_ allowed a dragon of all things to prance freely about the castle. It's dangerous. Even with this so-called dragonlord you say is secretly within your service-"

"And his bedroom." Gwaine snickered. Arthur lifted a hand and Leon immediately grabbed the other man's arm to escort him out (to the dungeons hopefully). "Worth it." Gwaine whispered to where a horrified looking Merlin was standing by the doorway. Arthur gestured for the noble to continue.

"I... I just wish to express my concern - and the concern of many others - about such a dangerous creature." He nodded firmly and then (as if Arthur didn't grasp the situation) pointed to Aithusa. "Look at it!"

Ah... Arthur had been waiting for this moment. He glanced at Merlin before giving a subtle smirk.

"I do see your concern, my lord." He said, clearing his expression into one of stoicism. "My father was a wise man to rid us of most of the dragons. I, myself, have faced them and agree they are not creatures to be taken lightly." He said. Beckett nodded, relief spreading through his features. "And if one should ever come to Camelot... I will deal with it accordingly."

Beckett blinked.

"If - ? But..." He said and gestured once more to Aithusa. "Dragon." He said helplessly. Arthur frowned and turned to follow his finger. Aithusa cocked her head.

"That?" He asked, jerking a thumb in her direction. Beckett nodded. "My lord, you must be mistaken. That's a bird."

It was so ridiculously stupid... But Merlin's laughter was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all probably already know if you read That's the Spirit, but I now have a Merlin tumblr. Check it out [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/caffeinatedflummadiddlebutmerlin).


	2. Chapter 2

**Reason #6: The dragon is actually a very reliable ally**

Arthur could not believe this was happening to him. Him. The bloody _king_. Arthur Pendragon. Son of the most feared king in the five kingdoms. Knight and leader of the Roundtable. Harbinger of justice. Once and Future King of Albion. Leader of his people. Emancipator of magic.

Stuck in a bloody broom closet with his boyfriend like a goddamn teenager.

Granted, it wasn't too long ago that he _was_ a teenager, but that wasn't the bloody point, was it?

"This is your fault." He whispered and Merlin spluttered as he turned to glare at him. "It is! You couldn't just wait a few hours-"

"Arthur, why can't we just walk _out?"_ Merlin asked, cutting him off with a groan.

"And have the knights see us? Do you know what they'll think we were doing?"

"...probably exactly what we were doing." Merlin grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So we are really going to wait here until they leave? Gwaine brought mead. They're going to be outside this door all night." He pointed out. Arthur closed his eyes. Maybe... They could... Be in the closet for a different reason? What sort of things did people do in closets? He glanced over at Merlin. This seemed like something he would know more about.

Tragically, Merlin did not appear to have any ideas. Figures.

"Call Aithusa." Arthur ordered and Merlin slowly turned to him. "Call her. She can distract the knights." He nodded. Merlin continued staring. "What?"

"I am not calling _Aithusa_ , Arthur! First of all, I'm pretty sure everyone would hear me yelling for her. Second of all, you're not using her for your vanity or dignity!" He snapped. Arthur scowled. Easy for _him_ to say. Nobody cared if he was caught in a broom closet. "I'm walking out there-"

"No, you are not!" Arthur said, reaching out to keep him place. "That's an order." He added firmly. Merlin took few long breaths. "And you know what? Calling Aithusa is too!"

"You're such a prude." Merlin muttered, effectively silencing Arthur into indignant offense. "It's not like we were doing anything that scandalous! Let's just walk out!" He said and tugged himself out of Arthur's grip. "And it isn't like people haven't guessed we're together - _Arthur."_ He complained when the king stubbornly shook his head. "I'm never making out with you again." He muttered, running a hand over his face. "You're being-" He began fell silent when a sudden clang caught their attention.

"Aithusa!" Gwaine's voice called and Merlin's mouth dropped "Hey there, beautiful. Having fun with the other birds?" He asked and there was the sound of rumbling as footsteps drifted away from the door. "Hey, Leon. Look! She brought us something." He said and Arthur very slowly leaned forward to crack open the door. Sure enough, the dragon was flying outside the window with her mouth full of something that Arthur couldn't quite make out due to most of his knights being all gathered about in front of her. Pale eyes latched onto him (he had no doubt she could see him despite being so well hidden) and he put a finger to his lips.

"Come on." He whispered and slowly opened the door. Merlin rolled his eyes and marched out, flicking him off as he did so. Arthur glanced over just in time to see Percival turn around only for Aithusa to give a sharp squeal and launch herself through the window at him beofore he could see Arthur. Leon gasped, but it became abundantly clear that the dragon only wanted to play as she licked the knight repeatedly.

"What's going on here?" Arthur asked, skillfully closing the closet door with his foot before walking over as if he had just come from an important meeting rather than a closet. "Hello, Aithusa." He greeted and the dragon stopped assaulting Percival to beam up at him. She walked over to give a low purr. She was really getting too big to be in the castle, but Merlin argued that if she could still fit through the windows than she should be allowed to roam the halls as she pleased ("After all, she's just a bird, Arthur. What harm can she do?").

"Aithusa was saying hi - and look! She brought snacks!" Gwaine said from where he was already busting open the crate of what appeared to be meat and cheese.

"I see. Very good, Aithusa." He said and leaned down next to her. "Thank you." He added in a whispered. Aithusa rolled on her back.

"Where did you come from, my lord?" Leon asked, accepting a piece of cheese from Gwaine as he walked over to rub Aithusa's stomach fondly.

"THE CLOSET!" Merlin yelled from the down the hall. Arthur froze. Gwaine choked on his food - either from shock or laughter, Arthur couldn't be sure. It didn't matter. Arthur was going to kill Merlin either way. He turned back to Aithusa.

"I like you so much better than him."

* * *

**Reason #7: It generally is frowned upon to fight babies**

Arthur wasn't for sure why the 'bird' gag was still running. He wasn't still planning on killing Aithusa, but it seemed as if Camelot had decided to stick to the cause even if it meant confusing Arthur's visitors and enraging several important dignitaries. He wasn't really sure what they gained from it, but the answer became clear about a few weeks after the closet incident had taken place.

"Play!"

"Hm? What are you? Five?" Arthur mused, ignoring Merlin vying for his attention.

"Please?"

''I'm working," Arthur said, not looking up from the vast amount of work sitting in front of him. "Aren't you supposed to be helping Gaius?" He added and there was a huff of annoyance. "Merlin, I - _whoa!"_ He shouted as he catapulted himself away from his desk. "No! What? Why?!" He yelled and from outside there was a crash as guards' footsteps came thundering towards the room as Arthur reached for his sword. " _Aithusa?"_ He managed as the dragon blinked at him.

"Play!" She repeated in Merlin's voice. What the _fuck?_

"Sire? My lord are you - oh." One of the guards said as he burst into the room with his spear out. "Hello, Aithusa. Are you watching over the king today?" He asked fondly, ignoring Arthur frozen in fear. Aithusa mewled and gave a slight flap of her wings in greeting. "Good, good. Such a smart bird," He beamed with a wary glance at Arthur's sword.

Seriously?

"She talked." Arthur said. The guard stared. "In Merlin's voice. I heard her. Can dragons do that?" He asked, voice going higher and higher with each word. There was a moment of silence before the guard shrugged.

"Um, I have heard a species from far lands that can mimic voices. They are birds known as _parrots._ Perhaps they share an ancestor?" He suggested. Arthur stared.

"Get Merlin. Now."

When Merlin did come about fifteen minutes later, Arthur was still frozen.

"What's happened to you?" Merlin frowned, eyes flicking him up and down. "Are you alright? Aithusa?" He added over his shoulder. Arthur pointed his sword in the dragon's direction. Immediately, Merlin stepped in front of it.

"She talked! She talked in _your_ voice! I heard her!" He said, borderline hysterical "And the guard tried to call her a parrot or something, I don't even know, but you better explain." He said, still waving his sword around in raw panic. Merlin's brow creased as he turned to look back at Aithusa who was looking a little put out by how this was all going.

"Mad?" She asked (again in a scarily accurate impersonation of Merlin's voice). The sorcerer blinked.

" _Oh."_ He said and, for whatever reason, smiled. "Aithusa! Good job!" He said. Arthur made a choking noise. "Arthur, she's a baby." He added over his shoulder. That wasn't an explanation. Arthur looked around. _That wasn't an explanation_. "She's learning how to talk."

That was an explanation... But a bad one.

"With _your_ voice?"

"Well... Yeah. Kilgharrah says that they can mimic almost anything - including humans. So when learning how to speak she's probably going to mimic people she's fond of and trusts. I'm not sure when she'll start using a voice of her own." He said and gave Aithusa a fond pat on the head. "Put that away." He added wryly at Arthur's sword. "You wouldn't wave that around if a human baby started talking."

"I might if that human baby started talking with your _bloody_ voice." Arthur said, but lowered the sword. How long was this going to happen? He wasn't sure he could do this. Aithusa rose her head.

"Human baby." She repeated - to Arthur's absolute horror - in Arthur's own voice.

"No, no, no, no...Don't do that. Do not, Aithusa."

" _Aithusa, no_." She agreed (still mimicking Arthur). There was a pause. "Aithusa, yes." She decided.

"Can you believe she trusts you enough to use your voice after you raised a sword at her?" Merlin asked dryly. Arthur groaned and let the sword fall to the ground. "You better not jade her childhood by constantly threatening her life." He added. Arthur sighed. Whatever. Just... Whatever. He held up his hands in surrender.

"You're very smart, Aithusa. The smartest dragon there is!" Merlin said affectionately. Aithusa looked at him.

"No." She said (once more in Arthur's voice...That one was fair though. She probably heard Arthur say no more than anyone else in the castle). Merlin frowned.

"No, what? You're not smart?" He asked and then glared at Arthur as if this dragon's self-esteem issues stemmed from him. Aithusa reared her head back, silver eyes narrowing slightly before speaking again.

"Not dragon. Bird!"

Merlin paused. Slowly, Arthur felt a grin creep onto his face. Revenge was _so_ very sweet.

"Aithusa," He asked, unable to help but make sure Merlin suffered as much as possible. "Do you think you're a bird?"

"Bird!" Aithusa agreed. Merlin closed his eyes, ignoring Arthur's rising laughter. "Not dragon. Bird."

"I...No, Aithusa," Merlin tried "You're not actually... We... Oh no." He sighed, head tilting forward in defeat. Arthur grinned.

"I hope you know you deserve this."

* * *

**Reason #8: Teeth. Fire. Claws. Potential ice for some reason.  
**

Even if Arthur no longer planned on vanquishing Aithusa she was still someone who he was very fond of sparring against (not with real swords because Merlin could be weird about that, but with wooden ones).

"Please be careful."

"Stop being such a _mother,_ Merlin. I'm not going to hurt her." Arthur said as he dodged Aithusa with a bright laugh. Merlin frowned from where he was lying a few feet away, using his magic to form various animals in the clouds.

"I'm not worried about her." He said, propping himself up on his elbows. "She might accidentally hurt _you."_ He said and bit at his lip. Arthur rolled his eyes. All this talk about how wonderful and nice and helpful Aithusa was and now that Arthur had grown to actually like spending time around her she was suddenly _dangerous_. Whatever. Merlin was just jealous that he was becoming her favorite.

"Isn't she supposed to be a nice, innocent, little bird?" He asked and gave Aithusa a playful poke with the fake-sword. Aithusa gave a roar of indignation before falling over to play dead. Merlin sighed.

"She wouldn't hurt you on purpose, Arthur. But there's a lot she's still learning to control - and we're not calling her a bird anymore. Too many identity issues." He added, sounding far too tired for someone so young. Arthur snorted and walked over to where Aithusa was still lying while pretending to helpless in the grass.

"Aithusa, what do you think? Are you a dragon or bird?" He asked, trying and failing to keep the amusement out of his eyes. Aithusa cracked an eye open.

"Bird!"

"She makes a compelling argument, Merlin." Arthur said solemnly as he looked over at where the dragonlord in question had closed his eyes in frustration. "Hey. What's your best impersonation of a dragon?" He asked, turning back to Aithusa. She rolled over, head tilting as she seemed to mull over his question.

"Kilgharrah." She answered in a voice he didn't quite recognize. It was older and deep... Like a wise old man. Merlin recognized it if the way he wrinkled his nose in annoyance was anything to go by.

"Well, what does Kilgharrah act like?" He asked. That was probably the other dragon that Arthur wasn't allowed to meet yet. The fact he wasn't _allowed_ to do something still felt like an oxymoron to him, but he had agreed to let Merlin take the lead on the magic stuff. Aithusa sat up, spine straightening as her eyes suddenly morphed from silver to gold while her lips pulled back over her teeth in a rather frightening snarl. Arthur blinked, but by the time he realized this was a mistake it was too late.

" _Die!"_ She said in the old man voice and reared back, sending flames high into the sky. Arthur threw his wooden sword to the side before she could light that on fire before she slammed back on the ground, shaking. Immediately there was a cracking sound and Arthur found himself falling backwards as the ground seemed to morph from grass and soil to solid ice. She snapped her jaws again.

"Aithusa!" Merlin yelled and suddenly the ice was gone and Merlin was there - standing between the king and dragon with his hands up. "Enough."

The dragon paused.

"Playing dragon." She said (this time in Gwen's voice). Merlin sighed.

"You _are_ a dragon - and look!" He gestured to where the tops of flags were burning and some residual ice was left from where Merlin's magic had cleared it away. "You did that." He told her. Aithusa paused. "I told you to be careful." Merlin added callously over his shoulder to Arthur. He really did _not_ appreciate that the same tone was being used for both him the baby dragon. Merlin must have realized this because he winced. "My lord." He tacked on a bit belatedly.

Yeah. Right. Arthur could hear the sincerity in that one.

"...mad?"

Oh no. Oh _no_. Arthur felt a flood of guilt rise up at that. Aithusa's voice this time wasn't one he had heard before and he suspected it could have been her own with how young and high it was. She looked _devastated_. He glanced over at Merlin and cleared his throat in warning. He better say he wasn't mad or Arthur just might behead him.

Luckily, Merlin was more of a sucker than he was.

"No! No, no, no - I'm not mad!" Merlin choked, looking horrified. "I didn't mean to sound mad. I was just stressed. I'm sorry. We just... Need to work on you being more careful. Do you want food? I should get you food." He said and Aithusa's face seemed to lift at the mention of that. Arthur swallowed. It took him a moment to realize he was still on the ground before getting up to walk over at where Merlin was rummaging through his bag. Recently, he had been trying to make Aithusa hunt more for herself, but it seemed that he was making an exception.

"Um," He said, shuffling up. "That might have been my fault. I'm sorry." He managed weakly. Apologizing was still hard for him (despite the fact his pride was all but shot) but it felt like he had plenty opportunities to practice. Merlin glanced up at him.

"You're okay, right?"

"Yes, Merlin. I'm fine." He said and when Merlin narrowed his eyes, held out his arms "No teeth marks. No claw marks. No fire. No ice." He added. Ice. He thought Merlin had been bloody joking about that one! "I hadn't...Realized she was so powerful." He added slowly and Merlin glared. "Not that I plan on doing anything about it!" He added hastily. "I just wondered if she's going to have anymore, uh, surprises." He added. Merlin gave a short laugh.

"Um... _Well_. Funny you should ask." He said. Arthur frowned. _That_ didn't sound good. "Gaius and I found something in the texts we dug up last month... It, um, says that dragons often mimic their dragonlords." He smiled weakly. Arthur waited. They knew this already, right? "Not just in voices, but... Just in general. Strength wise."

Ah, fuck.

"And you're a very powerful warlock." He finished and glanced at where Aithusa had captured the attention of one of the maids and was now running around with Lord Beckett's laundry. "The...Most powerful warlock. Does that mean... She could be the most powerful dragon?"

"Well, there's only two," Merlin said with a grimace "But...Yes. Essentially."

Arthur nodded slowly.

"And she thinks she's a bird."

"And she thinks she's a bloody bird." Merlin agreed in utter defeat. For once, Arthur didn't blame him.

* * *

**Reason #9: There are, in fact, bigger dragons out there**

Arthur met Kilgharrah a few days after Aithusa had broken her wing.

Now, for reference, Aithusa was now approximately the size of a building in the lower town. She could no longer muck about the castle and she had reached the point where Merlin was considering just finding a plot of land and building something for her there. The problem was that Aithusa was definitely a people-dragon and wouldn't be satisfied with such a thing unless the whole of Camelot went with her.

And people were accommodating, of course. Newcomers were rightfully fearful of her, but typically those who had known Aithusa as a hatchling would make an effort to introduce her and show how helpful she was at keeping criminals away and doing odd chores in exchange for being played with. Often times people would make the long trek to the open field outside of the town to visit with her.

So the fact that Aithusa's wing was broken was... Very bad news. No longer could she visit anyone because she was too big to simply walk through to the streets nor could she fly up to the castle and demand attention. It... Wasn't good. Especially because her solution to not being able to talk to anyone was to simply howl loudly and persistently at the sky until someone came to her.

Which was why Arthur was here.

"It is the middle of the night." He greeted, getting off of his horse. Aithusa brightened, but when she saw the look on Arthur's face, gave a whine of dispair.

"Where's Merlin?" She asked with a groan, glowering at her wing. "He said he would fix it quickly."

"He's gathering herbs for the spell the heal you. I believe he mentioned it would take a few days... And stop _screaming_. It isn't my fault you got smashed by a boulder." He muttered, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. Aithusa huffed, smoke coming from her nose as she did so. "We can't talk to you all the time, you know."

"Apparently nobody can talk to me at _all_."

"That isn't even true!" Arthur scowled, throwing up his arms. "Gwaine was here three hours ago. You can't be mad nobody is visiting at night. We're _sleeping_. You should try it!" He snapped at her.

"You should try it!" She mimicked in Arthur's voice. He glared at her. "Sorry."

Arthur really didn't think she was, but before he could point that out there was another howl rippling through the air. This time though... It wasn't from Aithusa. He frowned, glancing up at the sky to see a dark shape blocking the stars and moon hovering above. Ah, shit.

"Kilgharrah!" Aithusa gasped, sitting up. "You came!"

Arthur was not sure how excited he was for this.

The Great Dragon - or _Kilgharrah_ apparently - dove down so that he landed a few feet away from them. Despite the fact Arthur thought Aithusa had grown to a considerable size, she paled in comparison to the other dragon who stood well above the trees and could easily fill up his entire training ground. Nervously, he took a step back.

"How could I not?" The dragon spoke - voice loud and booming "When such persistent cries of my kind beckon me."

While the words sounded old and wise there was a note irritation there that told Arthur he wasn't the only one who had make this trip with the bitterness of a man being unable to sleep.

"I am very good at beckoning," Aithusa agreed and sat up a bit more "Have you seen my wing yet? It's broken." She said, lifting where it was wrapped and bound tightly. "I did it on a quest. It was an important quest." She added with a nod. Arthur rose an eyebrow. If by 'quest' she meant 'bothering Arthur and Merlin's attempt to get away from the castle for a few days and have some time alone' then sure. She hurt her wing on a quest.

"Ah, I see." Kilgharrah mused.

"I was guarding Merlin and the king when a boulder came tumbling down a mountain. I blocked it... but it rolled over my wing." She explained. Arthur tried not to scoff. This one wasn't...Entirely untrue. She just failed to mention that the boulder came tumbling down because she said 'Hey, I can pick up that boulder' and Merlin said 'Don't try it' and then she tried it before he could use his dragonspeak on her... But who was Arthur to add in unnecessary details?

"Very brave."

"It was very brave. Right, Arthur?" Aithusa asked, turning to look down at the king. It was at this moment that Kilgharrah's eyes also settled on him.

Maybe Merlin had a point on not introducing them right away.

It was...Difficult. This was the monster that ravaged his home. Killed innocent people. Burned down crops and houses. This is the reason Merlin's father was _killed_. Arthur's fingers twitched as he set his jaw. Merlin wasn't here... He couldn't interject if things went awry. Arthur tried to remember that as he gave a curt nod to the dragon.

"Young king. I hadn't noticed you were there." He said and brought his head down so he could look closer at Arthur. "I have watched you from afar, of course, but I do believe this might be the first time we have met in person." He mused. Arthur gave a sharp intake.

"I believe we met once before." He said coolly. Kilgharrah's lips pulled back into an almost taunting smile as he revealed rows of sharpened teeth that could possibly pierce through Arthur's armor like a knife would butter. Aithusa poked her head down.

"You have? I didn't know that!" She said and Arthur's previous rage dwindled. She didn't know. Of... Of course, she didn't. Why would Merlin tell her how the only other dragon she knew tried to demolish their home? Had tricked and lied and manipulated... Kilgharrah's eyes flickered towards her for a moment Arthur could have sworn he saw a bit of panic in otherwise cold golden eyes.

Honestly, Arthur was _way_ to forgiving.

"Kilgharrah was Merlin's advisor for many years. It is through his words that Merlin had the right information to keep me alive."

Ugh. It hurt to say. Arthur hoped dearly that in return Kilgharrah would _not_ mention how his father kept him chained under the castle for twenty years.

"Really?" Aithusa asked and laid down. "You should tell me about it."

Oh boy. Arthur turned to look at the other dragon with brows raised. Yeah, he should tell her about it. Go ahead. I'm sure she would love to hear all about -

_Are your thoughts always so juvenile?_

...this wasn't good.

 _I don't have magic,_ Arthur said - a little uncertain if Kilgharrah could hear or not, _why... why can I hear you?_

_I am a powerful creature of the Old Religion. You are a king of prophecy and destiny. It is not unheard of. Especially since you are tied to my dragonlord.  
_

Arthur wasn't sure how he felt about the phrasing of the last one, but okay. He simply glanced at where Aithusa was waiting for her typical midnight story. He really hoped Merlin fixed her up soon. This was unbearable.

 _Noted,_ he responded and glanced towards his horse, _since she is technically supposed to be your responsibility anyways would you mind if I go back to sleep? I'm exhausted and I'm sure all my citizens are too,_ he said. Kilgharrah's eyes narrowed slightly. Arthur waited to either be burnt to a crisp or allowed leave. Well, not allowed leave. He was the king, but whatever. Slowly, the dragon gave a small nod and Arthur turned away.

 _Young king,_ Kilgharrah called back and Arthur inwardly sighed as he looked back. _I understand there are only two of us amongst many of you within this kingdom... However, while Aithusa may be young and easily killed, I am not. Maybe keep that in mind before you consider doing her what your father did to me.  
_

Oh. Okay. So the damn dragon was going to threaten him now? _Really?_ Arthur looked back at Aithusa with a sigh. He supposed there was a time where he thought to kill her. Perhaps he was being harsh... It just stung because this was coming from the dragon who literally knocked him unconscious while massacring his home. No big deal.

 _I would never hurt Aithusa,_ He finally answered. _She could never commit the crimes you committed. Maybe keep that in mind before you do to her what you did to Mordred and Morgana,_ he suggested and made sure to look him in the eyes. _For all your knowledge and wisdom... I find it funny you still managed to take that righteous anger to try and convince Merlin he should turn against his own kind. Tell me, if a prophecy comes forth that declared Aithusa a threat to my rule... Will you be willing to kill her then?_

Arthur had never seen a dragon's scales lift. He had no idea they could even do that... It was the same as the hair on a dog before it attacked. A warning. Arthur didn't back down though. Only waiting for whatever response could come back... He didn't get one. That was probably for the best. Aithusa was clearly getting annoyed that nobody was speaking and pounded her tail to the ground.

"What are you doing?" She demanded and Arthur threw his leg over the horse.

" _I'm_ going to sleep," He told her and gave a pointed look "Since you can't do that apparently, Kilgharrah can keep you company." He said and Aithusa made a grumbling sound as she put her head to the ground in a sort of pouting acceptance.

"Yes," Kilgharrah said dryly "We should let birds play with birds after all."

Arthur winced. He knew about that? It seemed that no matter where he went... Nobody was going to let the bird thing go.

* * *

**Reason #10: Not Allowed To (The dragon isn't, that is)  
**

"You _what?"_

This was... Not good. Arthur looked over at where Aithusa had completely abandoned him like the coward she was by shooting up into the air. With a horrifying shrieking sound she dove towards the ground once more to release a column of fire across the field, sending Camelot’s attackers scurrying away from the castle.

"Are you seriously upset?" He asked, yanking out his sword. Merlin looked torn between outraged and amused. The outrage was winning though. He could tell. "She said I could-"

"You didn’t ask me!"

"Neither Aithusa or myself are a children, Merlin. We don’t have to ask your permission. Besides, she’s a dragon. I’m a king." He shrugged and handed Leon a scroll with orders to fire back on the siege. Merlin laughed. Leon gave the king an awed shake of his head. 

"Oh, I’m sorry. Don’t mind me since I have no place here except...Wait. I’m a dragonlord. And your husband."

Eh. Well. Worth a shot.

"Alright, that checks out for Aithusa... Not so much for me." He admitted and prayed that the dragon never found out he threw her under the horse. Merlin took a long breath before throwing out his hands and a pulse of air shifted - sending a wave of magic towards the men still trying to enter the borders. From where they stood high amongst Camelot’s walls, he could make out only about a thousand of them. "I'm still the king. You can't tell me what to do, Merlin." He reminded him.

"You cannot use that as a defense for everything."

"I can. I'm the king." Arthur said, signaling the archers. Merlin's face darkened - the frustration in his eyes rising to levels that Arthur knew he would be hearing about for months to come. He supposed he was being a little unfair. Aithusa was his dragon after all. Not Arthur's.

...though, one could argue (if one was brave enough that is) that the whole 'what's yours is mine and what's mine is yours' thing that came with marriage also made Aithusa his dragon. So. There was that. Arthur was fairly certain if he made this point that Merlin might explode though.

"She's not a _horse_ ," He seethed "You can't just ride her into battle like that."

"Oh my God," Arthur groaned and signaled again. "She said it was okay! It wasn't like I didn't ask!"

"Yes and I'm sure she failed to mention to you that her wing hasn't fully recovered!" Merlin snapped back. This made Arthur pause. "Part of the reason I can't leave you two alone together is your are _both_ idiots." He added on and Arthur glanced as where Aithusa was dodging arrows high above only to dive down to the ground. Spirals of ice slicked the grass as she landed, sending a few hundred men sprinting for the hills and another hundred sliding across the ground.

"Should she be fighting?"

"The only thing she shouldn't be doing is carrying excessive weight." Merlin told him coldly. Arthur briefly considering trying to say he really shouldn't weigh that much to a dragon, but really. He was already fighting one battle (quite literally). He didn't need a second. Instead he opted to change tactics.

"Where are you injured then?" He asked lightly. That seemed to halt Merlin's mutterings. "Aren't dragons supposed to reflect their dragonlords? Like how people say dogs are like their owners?" He tacked on. Merlin bristled slightly at the dog comparison, though he didn't say anything. "So that means if Aithusa doesn't tell me about an injury you probably wou - wait, are you actually injured?" He asked, spinning around when he registered Merlin ire had immediately retreated.

"...no."

"You've got to be kidding me." He muttered and glared as he flagged down Gwaine. "What happened?"

"I just got grazed with an arrow-"

"Who's the idiot now?" Arthur grumbled and shoved Gwaine towards the army with orders to take over. "Where? Are you still bleeding?"

"Aithusa-" Merlin started indignantly but when Arthur looked at him stopped. "Shoulder." He said flatly and pulled the collar of his shirt to the side so Arthur could see white bandages peaking out. Well, it looked attended to at least. Knowing Merlin, he wouldn't use magic to heal it until after the siege had retreated. "I was going to mention it." Merlin lied (because he was definitely lying). "Or I assumed Leon would tell on me." He added lowly. From where Leon himself was passing by with his arms full of arrows he turned to give a curt nod of agreement.

"You seem fine for now. I'll let Gwaine - where's Gwaine?" He interrupted himself when he turned to take back over. Merlin frowned, leaning around him to glance at where he should have been at the front of the others with orders to raise their shields when a rain of arrows came flying back. Merlin raised his hands and immediately the weapons dropped. "Has he been hit?" Arthur frowned, panic rising slightly.

"PRAY FOR YOUR LIVES, YOU SAXON FUCKERS!"

"Found him." Percival called and pointed out to where Aithusa had flown by once more. Merlin cursed loudly.

"GWAINE GET OFF OF HER!" He shouted and Arthur had to grab the back of his shirt to keep him from also catapulting himself off the side of the castle.

"I wouldn't with your shoulder." He reminded him and Merlin blinked before his scowl deepened.

"AITHUSA GET OVER HERE! _DRAKON!"_ He added sharply when Aithusa and Gwaine continued their rampage. At the dragonspeak, she immediately turned around much to Gwaine's disappointment. "I don't deserve this." He muttered and threw up his hands when they finally got close enough. "What the Hell are you doing? Get off!" He snapped at Gwaine who slid off of Aithusa's back with a frown. "Stop letting people ride you!" He added to Aithusa and pointed a finger at where Percival had been inching closer to the dragon. "Don't you dare."

"...but she promised." Percival said.

"I did promise."

" _Stop riding the_ _dragon."_ Merlin seethed "She's not a horse." He added again. Gwaine and Percival exchanged identical looks at this. "You know what? Nobody on our side has even died yet. Go home, Aithusa."

"What?" Gwaine spluttered as Aithusa gave a wail of outrage. "But... But she breathes fire! And you said if she wanted to be in bigger battles she needed to practice." He added to Aithusa's defense.

"I changed my mind. Go. _Ithi."_ He added to her. Aithusa gave a sharp huff, smoking exhaling from her nostrils as she rose back up into the air and disappeared once more. Merlin shook his head as he stormed back to where Arthur was standing.

"...you...sent her home?" Arthur asked slowly with a snort. "Wow."

"Shut up."

"Or what? You're going to send me home too?"

"Leave me alone."

"I just want to make sure you know the level of ridiculousness you've reached." Arthur informed him. Merlin made a face, but didn't respond. "Question. Is Kilgharrah allowed to come help us or are you going to ground him too?" He asked and dodged when Merlin went to shove him. "Watch your shoulder." He laughed. It disappeared when Leon came around the corner with two men in front of him. Both had their hands bound in front of them, faces covered in blood and dirt as they were marched over.

"They surrendered." Leon explain and shoved them forward onto their knees. "I figured they could buy their lives by telling us what their friends over there are planning." He added with a nod towards the crowd still trying to get in. Arthur nodded. While he had no plans to murder these men it was better that they didn't know that in case they held any valuable information they considered worth their lives.

"We don't know anything! I don't think our king even has a plan." One man stuttered, shifting a bit under Leon's grasp. "We all thought he was crazy to attack when Camelot is said to have such strong magical defenses, but we had sworn to follow him." He added on. Arthur gave a low hum. That was... Perhaps good news? Or there was a piece of the puzzle he was still missing. He turned to the other man, but he wasn't paying attention to Arthur. On the contrary, he was looking up at the sky with a frown.

"Where is the bird?" He asked. Arthur stared.

"What?"

"The bird. I heard it was here and wanted to see it up close." He said, quite casually for someone who was now a prisoner or war. Arthur continued to stare. "You know! The one everyone always talks about. Camelot is said to have a bird with silver eyes and no feathers - only white scales." He nodded. Gwaine cleared his throat.

"Yes, yes. We know of her... The rumors say she's a bird? Amazing." He smiled, clapping Merlin on the shoulder.

"You... She was on the field not too long ago," the warlock frowned "Did you think she was a bird when you saw her?" He asked, bewildered. The man shrugged.

"I don't often rely on my own sight, my lord. Others have been known to see better than I." He reasoned. Merlin opened his mouth at that, looking ready to argue, but apparently thinking better of it. Arthur clicked his tongue, offering the man a wry smile. Merlin must have sensed he was about to be annoyed because the man preemptively glared at him.

"I'm very sorry," Arthur said as stoically as he could "But I'm afraid the bird is not allowed to fight anymore today. She got in trouble with our bird whisperer."

"I honestly don't know why I put up with this." Merlin sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deagal is up next and then (FINALLY) Mordred will be after that lol.


End file.
